Pneumatic pipe-organ.



Patented Sept. 26, I899.

H. SCHMELZEIS.

PNEUMATIC PIPE ORGAN.

(Application filed Jan. 18, 18991 ('No ModeL) X W 1 M WITNESSES 511.. Z

ATTORNEYS Patent have been applied for in Switzerland UNITED STATES HEINRICH SCHMELZEIS, OF MAENNEDORF, SIVITZERLAND, ASSIGNOR TO THEODOR KUHN,

OF SAME PLA OE.

PNEUMATIC PIPE-ORGAN,

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent No. 633.735, dated September 26, 1899.

Application filed January 1 8, 1 8 9 9.

To all w/tom it may colwcrlt:

Be it known that I, HEINRIOHSOHMELZEIS, a citizen of Germ any, residing at Maennedorf, in the canton of Zurich and Republic of 1 Switzerland, have invented a new and useful Pneumatic Pipe-Organ, (for which Letters June 21 and September 10, 1898; in Germany, (Gebrauchsmuster,) August 22, 1898; in France, August 24, 1898; in Belgium, August 24, 1898, and in GreatBritain, August 24, 1898,) of which the following is a specification. Myinvention consists in a pneumatic pipe organ'with a key-table provided with a new pneumatic pipe=eoupling device and an improved pneumatic wind-chest, which possesses, as compared with other pneumatic wind-chests, advantages in respect of simplicity of construction and working, ease of access, and facility of regulating the pipevalves from the outside of the wind-chest, as well as steadiness in the tone and pitch of the notes produced.

In the accompanying drawings, in which similar letters of reference indicate like parts, Figure 1 is a sectional View of the improved pneumatic pipe-organ, and Fig. 2 is a detailed view.

A is a fragment of a key of the first manual provided with a liftingplate A and A is a fragment of a key of the second manual. A spindle D, having three valves I II III, is capable of being lifted by means of the plate A which valves are adapted to control the passages F and G, communicating with the l main wind-chamber C. A passage E branches off from the passage F. hen the organist plays on the organ, the chamber 0 always is supplied with wind, of which a part passes through the passages F and E and fills the bellows-valve II when the valves are in the position as shown in the drawings. The bellows-valve II is only open toward the passage E, to the mouth of which it is fixed in any suitable manner. It is fitted to close the mouth of the passage J when it receives wind from the chamber 0.

The valves I II III, carried by the common spindle D, consist of a leather plate (1, a metal plate (1 affixed thereon, and a nut d The upper valve I bears against a plate ll, of cel- Serial No. 702,569. ,(No modelfl ter is not depressed, the passages F and G are closed by the respective valves I and III namely, the passage F from without and the passage G from withinthe valve II leaving open the inner mouth of the passage F, so that a portion of the wind can pass from the chamber 0 into the valve II, pressing the some down upon the mouth of the passage J. If the key A is now depressed, the inner mouth of the passage G and the outer mouth of the passage F are opened, but the inner mouth of the passage F is closed by the valve II. This valve being loosely mounted upon the spindle D the stroke of the valves I and III may be larger than that ol' the valve II, the relative movement of the valves II and III etfecting a compression of the spring (1. The wind escapes now from the chamber 0, runs through the passage G and tube K to the pipereleasing valve U in the wind-chest, and causes the respective pipe to sound, as will be afterwards described. The wind contained in the passage E and in the bellows-valve II, which is weighted at the lower part by the metal plate ll, fixed thereupon in any suitable manner, escapes through the perforated plate L into the open air. If wind is admitted to the chamber T, it has a decreased counteraction and lifts the valve II oil? the month of the passage J, so that the wind may run to a second pipe-releasing valve U, as will be more fully described hereinafter. If there is no wind in the chamber T, the valve II rests in its normal position as the valve I is opened. \Vhen the key A is released, the valves I, II, and III return to their normal positions, as shown, so that the wind-supply to the passage G, the tube K, and the pipereleasing valve U ceases immediately and the pipe becomes mute. The valve III being loosely mounted upon the spindle D is tightly .vided.

pressed upon its seat by means of the spring d. Then the key A of the second manual is depressed and released, the respective pipe sounds and becomes mute in a similar manner. The second main wind-chest M is also constantly supplied with wind, which when the key A is depressed and the valve N is raised runs through the passage 0, the chamber P, passage Q, and tube R to a second pipereleasing valve U (not shown in the drawings) and causes the respective pipe to sound. The flat valve S, placed in the chamber P, prevents the wind which comes from the passage 0 entering into the passage J, because this valve S is pressed against the mouth of this passage. The construction and function of the valve N are similar to those of the valve I.

It is to be observed that for a certain number of pipes (register) only one chamber 0 and one coupling wind-chamber T are pro- However, there are for each pipe a special spindle I), with valves, special passages E F G, and a special bellows-valve II. The chambers Ill and P are also common to a certain number of pipes. The chamber T is capable of being supplied with wind, for which purpose a coupling-valve (not shown in the drawings as being known) has to be pulled by the organist.

In order to couple or to make sound simnl' taneously both the pipes released by the wind passing through the tubes K and R but actuating only the key A, the coupling-valve has to be pulled, whereby the coupling windchamber T is supplied with wind. If this occurs and wind enters into the bellows-valve II, situated in the chamber T, the key A being not depressed, this wind, assisted by the weight of the metal plate II, presses the valve II down on the mouth of the passage J. It will be seen that the surface of the valve II acted upon by the wind from the passage E is larger for about the area of the cross-section of the passage J than the surface of the valve II acted upon by the wind contained in the chamber T. Therefore the valve II will be pressed against the mouth of the passage J, which in this state receives no wind. If the key A is now depressed and the spindle D, with the valves I II III, lifted, the wind contained in the valve H escapes through the passages E and F into the open air, and the wind contained in the chamber T, having a decreased counteraction, lifts the valve H off the mouth of the passage J, so that the wind may run from the chamber T through the passage J, chamber P, passage Q, and tube R to the second pipe-releasing valve U. At the same time the first pipe-releasing valve Uhas been acted upon by the wind coming from the tube K, passage G, and chamber 0. Both the respective pipes sound together. pipe-releasing valve U, having the disks u a, rests with its stem upon the lenticular inflatable bellows "a which when inflated by the wind from the tube K lifts the said stem with the disks u '21 closing the valve u and open- Theing the valve it, as will be more fully described hereinafter. \Vhen the key A is released, the valves I II III I*[ return to the original position shown by the drawings. A portion of the wind runs through the passages E E into the valve H and presses it down on the mouth of the passage J, closing the same. Both the coupled pipes now become mute. A similar pipe-coupling device may be arranged in the lower portion of the key-table, the respective valves I II III being actuated in this case by means of pedals. The distance between the key-table and the wind-chest may be any suitable one.

The wind-chest V has register'chambers t, which are open at the lower end and capable of being closed by the channel-board IV. From each chamber 11 the wind can pass direct to the corresponding pipe or pipes X under the control of a valve Y, adapted to close the pipe end within the register-chamber, the lift of this valve being determined by a stop capable of adjustment from the outside. The said valve Y consists of a disk y, adapted to seat itself against the pipe end in the register-chamber or to be withdrawn therefrom, ac cording, respectively, as a substantially len t-icular-shaped bellows 1 on which the valvcdisk is mounted, is inflated or collapsed. The interior of the lenticular bellows communicates with a passage to, (in the cover of the wind-chest,) in which there is normally maintained a pressure of wind equal to that constantly maintained in the register-chambers c and air-duct t, this equality of pressure being insured by the retention in its open position of a valve it, which controls an aperture leading from the air-duct t" to the passage w in the channel-board \V. Upon the spindle carrying this valve is fixed a second valve a, controlling the communication between the interior of the said passage to and the external atmosphere, the relative position of the two valves a 11 upon the spindle being such that when one is open the other is closed, and vice versa. The spindle carrying the valves u u is caused to move, as required, by the inflation or deflation of a bellowsvalve to under the control of the key A, as described. IVhen the key A is depressed, the opening leading from the air-duct o to the passage it is closed and the opening leading from said passage to the open air is opened, permitting of the escape of the air in the passage t0 and the collapse of the bellows-valve Y consequent of the reduction of pressure within this valve. The disk 1 heretofore closing the pipe end is thus caused to open, thus permitting the air within said chamber to pass freely to the corresponding pipe of the organ.

The adjustable stop whereby the lift of the valve Y is determined consists of a spindle Z, screwing from outside through the wall of the passage to and presenting its inner extremity, having a small head .2, to the back of the valve Y. The spindle Z is provided exterhally with means for screwing it in and out, so as readily to regulate with great precision t 4 lift of the valve Y, upon whose constant accuracy of movement the steadiness of tone and pitch of the pipe controlled by it depends.

The tube R leads to a second similar pipereleasing valve U, having the same purpose as the first 0nenamely, to establish the communication between the air-ductc and a second passage to in the channel-board W when the key A is not depressed, respectively to establish the communication between the second passage to and the open air when the key A is depressed or when the key A is depressed and the chamber T supplied with wind. In the latter case the pipe corresponding to the key A sounds, together with the pipe corresponding to the key A, without depressing the key A.

Having now particularly described and as certained the nature of my invention and in what manner the same is to be performed, I declare that what I claim is 1. In a pneumatic pipe-organ having a keytable with pneumatic pipe-coupling device, the combination with the main wind-chamber (J the valves of which are adapted to be operated by the keys of a manual or pedal, and passages F leading to the open air, of a passage gleading to a pipe-releasing valve a coupling wind-chamber T controlled by a valve, passages E leading from the passages F to the chamber 1, a lenticular-shaped charged bellows-valve placed over the mouth of the passage E and closing the same, a passage J lead ing from the chamber T to a pipe-releasing valve and controlled by the bellows-valve, and a spindleD crossing the chamber 0 and havin g three valves provided with leather plates (1 and metal plates (P, of which valves one I is adapted to control the outer mouth of the passage F, the other II the inner mouth of the passage F and the third III the inner mouth of the passage G, substantially as described.

2. In a pneumatic pipe-organ, the combination with the register-chamber 2; the pipes mounted in one wall thereof and having valveseats in the chamber, the lenticular-shaped inflatable bellows-valves Y fixed on the inside of the opposite wall of the wind-chest V and the regulating-screws Z penetrating the said wall of the wind-chest V and easy of access from without.

In witness whereof I have hereunto set my hand in presence of two witnesses.

HEINRICH SOI-IMELZEIS. lVitnesses:

IIERMANN HUBER, A. LIEBERKNEOHT. 

